Summertime and the living is ... freezing!

Chris Page

Chunky knitwear is selling like hot cakes amid one of the wettest and dullest recorded summers.

Shoppers are reshuffling their 'summer' wardrobe by opting for warmer winter clothing over traditional seasonal attire such as light t-shirts and shorts.

Discount retailer The Original Factory Shop revealed that June sales of chunky knitwear were 150 per cent higher than June last year - with a "spike" in the sale of knitted jumpers down to the miserable start to summer.

Other items of clothing more suited to colder climates were also in vogue in June, with sales of fleeces jumping 44 per cent compared to the same time last year and sales of jackets up eight per cent.

Rachel Marshall, of The Original Factory Shop, which has Sheffield stores on Chesterfield and Manchester roads, said: "Despite a few short days of sunshine, the British summer has got off to a dreary start and this has given us an unusual spike in the sales of clothing more associated with the autumn and winter months, compared to figures for the same time period last year.

"While June would usually see Brits getting excited and buying pieces for their summer wardrobe, it appears they're swapping shorts and summer dresses for warmer jumpers and jackets."

Official figures from the Met Office showed last month was the seventh dullest June since 1929 and the 11th wettest June since 1910.